106: Ekavir - Dungeon Diver (Patreon)

Vir stood alongside Neel and Bumpy, surrounded by dozens of mercenaries at the mine entrance—a gaping hole in the side of the South Legion Mountains. The crack was old enough to look natural, though the mining cart tracks that led inside told a different story.

By his count, nearly fifty had shown up for this contract. The sun had only just peeked above the horizon, leaving a lingering chill made worse by idling around.

He looked over at Tia, who discussed tactics and strategy with her party.

In the end, she’d kept silent about her invitation by the Avi royal knights and her arrival at the party escorted by an Avian official. Vir hadn’t pried, either. It was hardly fair to go digging into Tia’s secrets without divulging his own.

At the center of the congregation was a raised wooden podium, upon which a mining company representative now stood. The man cleared his throat and addressed the crowd.

“Thank you, all, for attending. Before we begin, I’d like to share further details that may help you. The mine behind me was devoid of life until our miners penetrated through the lowest level, unearthing an ancient tunnel from which beasts poured out of. Your goal is to eliminate every beast that roams within.”

“Will you guide us to this tunnel you speak of?” someone asked.

The representative shook his head. “I’m afraid it would be far too risky for whoever guided you. Instead, we have prepared maps for each of you,” he said, gesturing to a stack of paper beside him. “The maps will be your guide.”

Guess I won’t be needing my charcoal this time, Vir thought.

“Note that the maps only cover the tunnels we’ve dug. The ancient tunnels we bored into remain uncharted, so please exercise caution.”

Maybe I will, after all… Vir doubted many other mercs would bother charting out those tunnels, and the mining company would probably pay a pretty penny for a map of that region.

“Now, as for the rules of engagement, each hunter will be given badges to place on their kills. This will inform us of who each kill belongs to, once our people retrieve the corpses. We claim all the corpse materials, though we will compensate you appropriately for the material worth. To prevent foul play, we encourage you to leave a hidden mark of your own on each kill. Our people can determine the freshness of the wound, so should two or more parties lay claim to the same kill, we can identify the oldest one.”

“That’s pretty specific,” someone said.

“Not the first time they’re issuing a contract like this,” the mercenary beside him replied. “I hear things really used to get out of hand before they firmed up their rules.”

Vir was hardly surprised. If there was even the slightest chance someone could lie and claim a kill that wasn’t theirs, he was sure they’d do it. Especially when so much coin was involved.

“Contested kills shall be handled on a case-by-case basis, and witness accounts will be considered,” the representative said. “That is all. May Vera be with you.”

“Seems like they’ll let us in soon,” Tia said, walking up to him. “You sure you don’t want to join us?”

“I’ve always fought alone”, Vir replied with an awkward smile. “I’d just drag you down. Besides, I’ve got Neel with me. Isn’t that right, boy?”

Aroo! Neel replied, eager to be going on a hunt with his master.

It wasn’t so much that he wasn’t a team player, but that he’d have to hide Dance of the Shadow Demon and Prana Vision for fear of raising suspicions. He couldn’t afford to watch his back while also fighting off enemies. Especially considering how much Tia hated demons.

“What a load of Ash,” Tia said, grinning. “I saw you move against Aryan. I think you’d be a great fit… But I get it. I hate it when people push me around, so I’ll spare you.

“Stay safe in there, yeah?”

Vir nodded. “You too.”

Spear’s Edge looked ready. Vason was decked out in his armor and Haymi had more orbs on her than any mejai he’d ever seen. Tanya used to carry orbs on her waist, but Haymi had orb sockets strapped to her forearms, shoulders, and even her thighs.

Does that mean she’s charged her orbs without touching them with her hands?

It always seemed like a limitation to Vir that mejai had to hold their orbs to charge them. Sure, some orbs had to be aimed, and those needed mejai bracers, but the others? As Vir understood it, a mejai ought to be able to create a prana suction anywhere in their body. Vir did exactly that when channeling ground prana, after all.

Vir’s thoughts were interrupted by the horde of mercenaries who flocked into the mines.

“Everyone wants to be first,” Tia muttered.

Apart from Vir and Spear’s Edge, only a handful of other mercenaries hung back. The smart ones.

Rushing headlong into a mine known to be teeming with dangerous beasts struck Vir as foolish. If there really were as many creatures in there as the company claimed, there’d be plenty to go around. By allowing other teams to go ahead, Vir would learn about what kinds of monsters they’d encounter—either by finding monster corpses, or by asking those advance teams later.

Vir used the time to analyze the map. Though basic, it accurately depicted a side profile cross section of the mine, highlighting its four floors. Each stretched horizontally and was connected by a central mine shaft. A hoist allowed miners to descend, but Vir had Dance of the Shadow Demon; descending through the levels would pose him no trouble.

A red X marked the very edge of the lowest level, indicating the source of the infestation. That was Vir’s destination.

Soon, the rush abated, and Vir stepped up to the yawning crack, clutching his map. Goosebumps erupted across his body as he peered into the dark abyss. Though it lit up just fine to Prana Vision, it reminded him greatly of the sewers beneath Daha.

Would he find a Prana Swarm lurking in these depths? Or perhaps some other Ash Beast that was just as horrific?

There was only one way to find out. Vir stowed his map, and with a deep breath, retrieved his iron katar, giving it a skeptical glance. The weapon would be his greatest weakness. Being merely iron, he’d have to be very careful about how he used it. Empowered thrusts against tough hide could very well break the blade, and it wouldn’t hold an edge for very long.

Though he’d contemplated buying a better blade, his finances simply couldn’t support it—a situation he hoped to rectify after this raid.

“Let’s do this, boy.”

— —

Neel couldn’t see nearly as well in the dark, so Vir had affixed a Magic Lantern orb to his collar, which he’d had Haymi precharge for him. It’d be an issue if he got stuck down here, but the charge ought to last for a few hours. While the bandy didn’t strictly need the light—he could follow Vir by brushing up against his legs—Neel was far more useful in a fight where he could see.

Vir was torn between bringing Neel and leaving him behind. On the one hand, the bandy truly was a useful ally in a fight these days. With the training Vir had given him, he wouldn’t be surprised if Neel had a nonzero Balar Rank.

That said, the bandy was also his most loyal friend, and moreover, one of his only mementos of his village past. Losing Neel would devastate him, but he’d never been great at resisting the bandy’s pleading eyes. All that meant he had to ensure no harm befell his trusty friend.

Though the mine shaft branched off into several tributaries, it wasn’t long before they encountered the scene of their first battle. Two prana wolf carcasses lay arranged off to the side of the tunnel, gaping spear wounds in them. Prana wolves, while dangerous to laymen, posed most mercenaries little threat. They were a far cry from their more lethal Ash brethren.

If prana wolves are all that’s down here, this’ll be a walk in the park! Vir thought, though he dared not believe in that hope.

If this was anything like Daha, the prana density was bound to grow the deeper he went. Which meant only the weakest beasts would’ve made it to the surface. From that perspective, it might have made sense to rush in, but Vir wasn’t worried. He was sure there’d be juicier prey down below. Besides, prana wolves hardly fetched any coin at all.

Vir soon came across another party engaged in battle with a pack of prana wolves. Judging from their spears, Vir suspected they were the same ones who’d dispatched the ones he’d seen earlier.

They seemed to be doing alright, so Vir Danced by, pulling Neel into the Shadow Realm with him. The tunnel had enormous shadows, so bringing him along wasn’t an issue. The bandy had startled the first few times, but had soon grown used to the sensation of being stuck in suspended animation whilst inside the Shadow Realm.

Vir passed several more groups this way. Thus far, he’d only seen prana wolves, though some were larger than the others.

It was right as he came to the central shaft that led below that he found a beast he’d only read about—in Daha’s bestiary.

A lone Raptor fought against a party of three male mercenaries, and held its own. None of the mercs had Talents or magic, but they were each dressed in full plate armor, wielding spears and tower shields; they were no pushovers.

And yet, the bipedal black-skinned beast that stood barely three paces high had them at a stalemate, and Vir could see why. Its razor-sharp tail and toothy maw weren’t its only weapons.

It’s using Ash prana to enhance the sharpness of its claws!

Ash Beasts universally used Ash prana like he did—which was a bad thing. It meant they were competing for the same limited resource.

Then, as the two sides eyed each other, everything changed. The party’s lanterns only illuminated the tunnel for a handful of paces so they failed to notice the approach of a swarm of new enemies. But Prana Vision highlighted them clearly. A dozen lizard-like creatures made their way through the darkness, and even climbed up onto the mine’s ceiling, hoping to lay an ambush for the unsuspecting party.

Vir had seen these in the bestiary, too. Zards. Lesser Zards, by their prana signature. While merely prana beasts, and harmless individually, Lesser Zards swarmed their prey, taking small bites of flesh. They were small enough to crawl into the gaps between armor plates, and quick enough that only fast reflexes and Lightning attacks could strike them.

If left alone, the party was doomed.

“Sic, boy!” Vir ordered, sending Neel to deal with the Zards while he took on the Raptor.

Embroiled in battle as it was, it completely failed to notice Vir as he sprinted into a shadow, slipping into the shadow realm, and back out—right behind his enemy. Vir’s momentum shot him forth, and his katar plunged into the back of the Raptor’s soft neck, nearly severing its head from its body.

But there was no time to relax. A scream told him the zards had made contact. One mercenary went down, writhing as the zards wriggled into his armor, biting off small chunks of flesh whenever they found an opening.

Neel was on them in an instant, crunching into their scaly hide, or swiping them off the mercenaries with his paw.

Spears made for poor weapons against these beasts, so the remaining three mercenaries switched to their knives, haphazardly trying to fend off the creatures that attempted to crawl up behind them.

Of course, they couldn’t hold a candle to the unseen shadow who dispatched zard after zard with his katar. By placing only half his body within the Shadow Realm, Vir slowed time by half, allowing him to surgically extend his katar from the shadow, skewering zards before immediately retracting back to the shadows, where his enemy could not pursue.

Methodically, he attacked, and with each second, more and more died until eventually, only silence remained.

Vir walked out of the shadows.

“W-who’re you?” a mercenary said.

“I’m the guy who just saved your lives. And these,” Vir said, pointing to the corpses, “are my kills.”